In addition to the online sources below, MANY published accounts can be found in the library's collection. If you don't have a specific author/title, the following headings can be helpful in narrowing a search to primary sources
Early works to 1800 (usually applied to modern reprints of early works)
Limit a search in the CAT/Lionsearch/WorldCAT by publication date
The "Sources" subject heading is generally applied to collections of primary sources. can be combined with other headings, e.g. mexico history sources.
We have some (mostly British) newspapers and magazines published before 1800. See our Historical News Guide for options.
A digital collection of primary documents including early monographs, pamphlets, letters, expedition records, journals, reports, maps, diaries, and descriptions of voyages.
A digital collection of primary documents from the colonial period to the present, including early monographs, pamphlets, letters, expedition records, journals, reports, maps, diaries, descriptions of voyages, and newspaper accounts. Historical collections include: Bauza Maps and Manuscripts Collection; Brazil's Popular Groups, 1966-1986; Conquistadors: The Struggle for Colonial Power in Latin America, 1492-1825; The Yale University Collection of Latin American Manuscripts, Parts 1-7; Latin American and Iberian biographies; Mexican and Central American Political and Social Ephemera; Papers of Agustin de Iturbide, 1799-1880; Records of the U.S. State Dept.
Some content on slavery in the Caribbean and early descriptions of Latin America
A massive digital collection of 18th and 19th century documents; Pamphlets, Books, Correspondence, Newspapers, Legal Documents, Manuscripts, and other materials. Includes over 1 million pages of unpublished archival material produced by pro and anti-slavery organizations and individuals.
Includes early accounts of slavery in the Americas and general accounts of the region.
Bringing together primary source documents from archives and libraries across the Atlantic world, this resource allows students and researchers to explore and compare unique material relating to the complex subjects of slavery, abolition and social justice. In addition to the primary source documents there is a wealth of useful secondary sources for research and teaching; including an interactive map, scholarly essays, tutorials, a visual sources gallery, chronology and bibliography.
Works published in England up to 1700. Includes early accounts of Latin America
Early English Books Online contains over 125,000 titles listed in Pollard's and Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661). Coverage includes the first book printed in English by William Caxton and features works by Malory, Bacon, More, Erasmus, Boyle, Newton, and Galileo. Novels, prayer books, pamphlets, almanacs, calendars, and many other types of primary sources are included. The works are presented as images that can be viewed online or downloaded in PDF format for viewing off-line.
Works printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800
Full texts and images of over 180,000 titles and editions printed in the British Isles and the Americas between 1701 and 1800. Includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more.
Documents produced by or for the British Monarchs, including reports from foreign official and correspondence with other European monarchs. .
State Papers Online, 1509-1714 contains more than 3 million pages of documents; correspondence, reports, memoranda, Parliamentary drafts and depositions from ambassadors, civil servants and provincial administrators serving the Monarch. The digital facsimile manuscripts are linked to searchable Calendar entries (abstracts or transcriptions of the originals). This collection contains information on every facet of English government, including social and economic affairs, law and order, religious policy, and crown possessions. There is also substantial information on Britain's international relations and foreign policy including correspondence with the monarchs of Europe, intelligence reports from agents abroad, and relations with the Vatican.
Primary documents on European maritime exploration. Includes some early voyages to Latin America.
Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration.
Source material on a wide variety of cultures around the world, as well as a cultural summary and bibliography for each culture covered
The Human Relations Area Files are designed to facilitate the cross-cultural study of human society, culture, and behavior. Two HRAF databases are available: Ethnography Collection and Archaeology Collection. They provide full-text access to source material on a wide variety of cultures around the world, as well as a cultural summary and bibliography for each culture covered.
official Spanish documents on the political, military, economic, and social life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila y Texas.
Digitized archives from a variety of topics and countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.
Subtantial collection of rare books, maps and manuscripts spanning over three centuries of early American history. Select "digital Collections from the main page.
A digital collection of field notes and other unpublished materials in the filed of cultural anthropology. Started in the 1940s, the collection initially focused on Mesoamerican languages, but broadened the subject scope over theyears. Not all the manuscripts have been digitized. Penn State has some manuscripts on microfilm(https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/?search_field=series&q=Microfilm+collection+of+manuscripts+on+American+Indian+cultural+anthropology, with additional collection materials available from the Center for Research Libraries. https://www.crl.edu/microfilm-collection-manuscripts-middle-american-cultural-anthropology